Pumps of the centrifugal type generally comprise a pump housing the interior of which forms a pump chamber. An impeller is positioned in the pump chamber and is connected to a drive shaft and drive motor that impart rotation to the impeller. The pump housing is formed with an inlet for receiving pumped material into the pump chamber, and a discharge outlet through which pumped material exits the pump chamber.
Seal assemblies are required to provide fluid barriers between various pump parts. One example of such seal assemblies is of the type used to seal the entry region of the drive shaft into the pump chamber. In one form of known seal assembly of this type the assembly comprises a rotating seal member which is mounted for rotation with the drive shaft and a static seal member which is adapted to bear against the rotating seal in order to provide an effective seal between the pump chamber and the drive shaft. Seal assemblies of this type are often referred to as gland seals. In this type of seal the sealing faces between the rotating and static seal members are lubricated and cooled by a small leakage of fluid between the seal members.
In order for the seal assembly to operate properly careful alignment and adjustment of the position of the seal members must be done for correct initial set up and maintenance and further adjustment when the pump is operating (dynamic adjustment). Incorrect location of the two seal members can result in seal failure as a result of lack of lubrication of the sealing faces.